Ory Hydra vs Permify
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Ory Hydra
Certified OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect server
VS
Permify
Open-source authorization service for fine-grained access
| Feature | Ory Hydra | Permify |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 17,462 | ★ 5,933 |
| First released | 2015 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Okta, Auth0 | Auth0 FGA, OpenFGA |
Why pick each one
Choose Permify if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 5.9k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Ory Hydra or Permify better?
Neither is universally better. Ory Hydra has the larger community, while Permify is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ory Hydra and Permify free and open-source?
Yes. Ory Hydra is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Permify under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ory Hydra and Permify with Docker?
Ory Hydra: yes. Permify: yes.